Alabama

JOBS Not a GOP Value

October 11, 2011 by Left in Alabama

The GOP presidential field will have another debate tonight.  I wonder if they'll talk about the nation's number one concern -- lack of jobs.  Not likely, because creating JOBS is not a Republican priority.  That's what's wrong with the GOP, in a nutshell ... they're obsessed with a bunch of silly stuff that has zip to do with the real problems real people are facing everyday in their real lives.

For instance, at the right wing Values Voters Summit last weekend, they asked "Which issue is the most important in determining your choice of candidate to support?"

The TRUE Cost of Coal

October 11, 2011 by Left in Alabama

  An interesting article from the great minds over at planetsave.

The true cost (of coal) lies somewhere between ~50% and 300% more than Americans are currently paying. The two largest contributors to this discrepancy are SO2 emissions (impacting air quality and public health) and CO2 emissions (impacting climate change).

  Now of course that's the true cost today. As of October 1st, the world temperature has been above average for 320 consecutive months. The cost can only go up & up as we approach 350, 400, 500 and beyond. Most of the GOP would have us believe there is still nothing to worry about no matter how much coal we burn. Obviously they need to go back to school to relearn science AND math.

American Dream Movement Protest At Alabama State Capitol Tues. & Wed.

October 11, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Over 300,000 people have signed the contract for the American Dream ...

We, the American people, promise to defend and advance a simple ideal: liberty and justice . . . for all. Americans who are willing to work hard and play by the rules should be able to find a decent job, get a good home in a strong community, retire with dignity, and give their kids a better life. Every one of us – rich, poor, or in-between, regardless of skin color or birthplace, no matter their sexual orientation or gender – has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is our covenant, our compact, our contract with one another. It is a promise we can fulfill – but only by working together.

...

AL Senator Richard Shelby Stands With the 1% - the Bankers Who Bankroll Him

October 11, 2011 by Left in Alabama

With the media finally paying attention to the Occupy Wall Street protests, last week's travesty in the Senate flew under the radar a bit.  Senator Richard Shelby voted with every Republican on the Banking Committee to block a vote on the nomination of Richard Corday to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Fortunately, Big Dick & his allies were in the minority.  That doesn't mean they won't keep fighting the very idea of consumer protection:

Occupy Wall Street Explained In One Graph

October 10, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Is it any wonder the 99% are mad as hell?  I look at this graph from Benjamin Landy's An "Occupy Wall Street" Primer and am astounded it took so long.

In the graph on the left, it is difficult to discern any appreciable increase in real income for all but the top 15 percent of taxpayers since 1979. But while middle class wages have remained stagnant for the last 40 years, top incomes have skyrocketed, more than tripling in the same period.